Trump claims EU 'taking advantage' with US$5b Google fine

The European Commission has fined Google a record $5 billion over what it says was illegal restrictions on Android device manufactures and mobile operators in violation of EU antitrust rules.

Alphabet, which is scheduled to report financial results on Monday, said it would set aside money to pay the fine which would cut its second-quarter profit by about US$5 billion.

On Thursday, President Trump weighed in, tweeting out his criticism on the EU. The search firm further barred phone makers from vending devices that featured Android systems that had not been authorized by Google.

Cheered on by many who are concerned about Silicon Valley's dominance, Ms Vestager will not abandon her mission to tame the tech giants - and the likes of Google, Apple and Amazon will fiercely resist any regulation that they see as a threat to their lucrative business models.

The European Commission said that Google broke the law by requiring manufacturers to install Google Search and Chrome as the default or exclusive search engine and browser as a condition for licensing Google's app store.

The Commission said that Google obtains the vast majority of its revenues via its flagship product, the Google search engine. A journalist quoted Trump, who told European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker at the G7 meeting last month: "Your tax lady really hates the U.S.".

The fine, which caps a three-year investigation, is the biggest ever imposed on a company by the European Union for anticompetitive behavior.

Nine Family Members Killed When Branson Boat Capsized
Pattison told CBS This Morning on Friday that the storm "came out of basically nowhere" and that the lake is typically calm. There had been wind gusts of more than 60 miles per hour reported at Branson Airport at the time of the tragic accident.

Van Avermaet keeps lead in mountains
It is the second consecutive year Renshaw has fallen foul of the time cut, having also been timed out last year on stage nine. THE Tour de France was hit by a risky prankster today - as a BMX rider jumped over the peloton.

Google immediately said it will appeal the ruling, arguing that its free operating system has led to lower-price phones and created competition with its chief rival, Apple.

The penalty is almost double the previous record of 2.4 billion euros which the US tech company was ordered to pay past year over its online shopping search service. The fine marked the second time in about a year that regional regulators have needled Google for its business practices.

Vestager said Google had shut out rivals by forcing major phone makers including South Korea's Samsung and China's Huawei to pre-install its search engine and Google Chrome browser, thereby freezing out rivals. "They truly have taken advantage of the US, but not for long!" Trying to regulate giants such as Apple, Google, Facebook, Microsoft and Intel, which have all received antitrust fines from the European Union in the last 10 years, requires a lot of resources.

Android is technically an open-source operating system that Google lets cellphone makers use for free.

GSMA, the global wireless carriers' trade body, welcomed the ruling, saying services developed by its members can now better compete with software vendors.

"If we don't negotiate something fair, then we have tremendous retribution, which we don't want to use, but we have tremendous powers", Trump said on Wednesday during a cabinet meeting at the White House.

Man Arrested In Connection With 30-Year-Old Murder Of Young GirlJul 19, 2018 - 16:06
After allegedly dumping her body, Miller said he later found one of her shoes in his vehicle , which he dumped into another ditch. Court documents say when asked by police Sunday if he knew why they were at his home, Miller answered, " April Tinsley ".

North Korea to grant special amnesty in August. Why?Jul 19, 2018 - 15:44
This meeting was the first between the UNC and the North Korea's military in nine years and four months. Command was formed during the Korean War and now helps maintain the armistice on the peninsula.

French players’ social media videos of World Cup celebrationsJul 18, 2018 - 16:17
Broken shop windows, pillage and other destruction lined a section of the Champs-Elysees, the postgame site for revelers. Pussy Riot pitch invader in World Cup final on her high five with French football superstar Kylian Mbappe .

Raptors close to acquiring a very unhappy Kawhi LeonardJul 18, 2018 - 15:53
Wojnarowski adds that Ujiri will not be getting any assurances, and that this is a bit on his ability to sell Leonard on Toronto. Of course, the article makes sure to say "combination of" and doesn't suggest all of those pieces would be included in the deal.

British Premier May Fends off Tory Rebels in ParliamentJul 18, 2018 - 15:44
Eight officials have quit since that summit, including two very high-profile Leave advocates, David Davis and Boris Johnson . SDLP MLA Claire Hanna said Monday night had made the likelihood of no deal Brexit "one step closer".

Weary Nadal bows out of Wimbledon with prideJul 18, 2018 - 13:38
The world number one came roaring back and broke Djokovic's serve in the fourth game, as the Serb sent a forehand into the net. Discussing the short turnaround to Sunday's final, Anderson continued: "It's tough, I'll just try to do the same protocols".

Cartoonists capture surreal side of Trump-Putin meetingJul 18, 2018 - 10:18
Corker, the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, said the first step was to get Pompeo to appear, "hopefully" next week. But she took issue with the president's tone, saying Trump bullied other countries into something and then took credit for it.

Prime time: A day of deals at Amazon, and at its rivalsJul 16, 2018 - 14:07
Additionally, Prime members who live near a Whole Foods may want to take advantage of a new offer this year, Dengler said. Perhaps some of the best discounts will come from Amazon's own devices including products such as the Echo smart speaker.

ZTE pays $1.4 billion penalty; US to lift banJul 16, 2018 - 13:40
The export ban forced ZTE ( ZTCOF ) to halt nearly all of its operations, putting the company's future in doubt. ZTE has been in crisis since the United States first blocked it from buying U.S. parts in April.

Germany's Kerber beats Serena to win Wimbledon women's titleJul 16, 2018 - 11:16
The journalist went on to mention how moms around the world look to her as a "superhuman supermom", but Williams remained humble. While away she underwent multiple life-saving surgeries after a blood clot formed on her lungs shortly after she gave birth.